Input sought for trolley line to UCSD, UTC

The 11-mile extension to the existing San Diego Trolley system would begin just north of the Old Town Transit Center and travel in existing railroad right-of-way owned by the Metropolitan Transit System north to Gilman Drive.

The 11-mile extension to the existing San Diego Trolley system would begin just north of the Old Town Transit Center and travel in existing railroad right-of-way owned by the Metropolitan Transit System north to Gilman Drive.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010Caltrans District 11 OfficeGarcia Conference Room4050 Taylor Street, San Diego, CA 921104 to 7 p.m.Bus stop/Transit station located at Taylor St./Juan St. & Old Town Transit Center

It may not be long before commuters can take the San Diego Trolley from the Mexican border or Santee all the way to UCSD and University City.

During the month of May, the San Diego Association of Governments is seeking public input at five “project scoping meetings” for plans to extend the trolley line north from the Old Town Trolley Center.

“There’s three alternatives that we are taking forward to scoping,” said Leslie Blanda, SANDAG Project Development Program Manager. “It’s a very high priority for our board. The challenges that lay ahead are pretty straight-forward alternatives.”

The 11-mile extension would run north along the existing railroad right-of-ways until reaching UCSD’s Gilman Drive, then circle either west through the campus and back out to the University City area or east through University City before circling into the campus.

Janay Kruger of the University City Planning Group said the alternatives for the extension are not without their flaws, but the group unanimously supports the project following presentations made by SANDAG and County Supervisor Ron Roberts in April.

“The community has known about this for 15 years and we have all sort of planned around it,” Kruger said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the community and it links up all four of our hospitals and a lot of our medical facilities, the employment and the university.”

Current proposals call for trolley stations at Tecolote Road, Clairemont Drive, Balboa Avenue, University Center Lane, UCSD east and west sites, Executive Drive and a major transit center at University Towne Center.

While much of the route is along existing train routes, some alternatives would require some bridges and tunneling at the north end of the line.

“All the alternatives have some potential to affect the environment,” Blanda said, adding that the scoping meetings are part of the process to mitigate those concerns and draft an environmental impact document.

The University City Planning Group has opposed Alternative 3, which would require tunneling in Rose Canyon, and continues to push for a trolley station at the Veterans Affairs Hospital, which so far is off the menu as the Federal government has not joined in the conversation for property it controls.

“We strongly favor Alternative 1,” she said. “and it looks like we have really strong support in the community.”

Kruger said her group will continue to study issues of noise, parking and visual impact as the project moves toward an environmental impact document.

Blanda said SANDAG hopes the funding for the project will be split between the local voter-approved TransNet Early Action Program and Federal Transit Administration New Starts Fund. The latter funding will be applied for once a final alternative route has been settled upon.

“We believe we will be very competitive for New Starts funding,” Blanda said. “We’ve been very successful in the past.”

New Starts funding was received for both the Mission Valley East line and the Sprinter, Blanda said.

To date about $32 million has been spent on the project for planning, preliminary engineering and right-of-way acquisition. Total cost is estimated at $1.2 billion, including the cost of railroad right-of-way acquired to date at $20 million.

If all goes according to schedule, commuters could be riding the new extension in 2016.